The wait is over: Gold for Krone Ultima

The world’s first non-stop baler wrapper

Spelle, 29 September 2011. Representing a breakthrough in round baler technology, Krone Ultima is the first baler wrapper that works fully automatically and non-stop. This means the combination keeps moving during the baling and unloading cycles. The breakthrough innovation has earned Krone a DLG Gold Medal, which it will be awarded at Agritechnica.Field trials have shown that Ultima achieves up to 50 percent higher work rates.

This is how the machine works: The crop collects inside the feed chamber while net wrapping is in progress. The feed chamber has one feed belt at the top and one at the bottom. The variable form of the feed chamber means it also serves as a pre-compression chamber. Pre-compression chamber, semi-variable baling chamber and tractor implement management system combine to provide swift working and high bale densities. Another new feature is the higher ground clearance of the baling chamber, which allows the bale to drop right on the wrapping table – another detail that speeds up the bale-wrap cycle.

This quantum leap in round baler technology was achieved by Krone combining a number of individual innovations, such as the semi-variable fixed chamber, which was awarded a DLG gold medal in 2007. Another crucial factor is the new Tractor Implement Management (TIM) system, which allows the baler to communicate with the tractor via ISOBUS, allowing the operator to adapt tractor speed automatically to the load on the baler and preventing overload on the machine as well as ensuring that the baler can perform a sufficient number of rotations to achieve maximum densities.

The initial reaction from Bernard Krone: “The entire Krone team – in particular our R&D department – is delighted about being awarded the DLG gold medal.” ”Our designers headed by Dr. Horstmann and Dr. Martensen have been working on this solution for a number of years, so we are very happy and proud to have revolutionised round baler technology. For nearly 40 years, baler wrappers had to stop for tying and unloading. Now we have finally found a non-stop solution, which will save our customers an enormous amount of time and, of course, money. We are very happy to have been awarded a DLG gold medal three times in a row. After Comprima won the Gold Medal in 2007, the CCI terminal, which is also used on Ultima, received the award in 2009.